If you’ve never made anything with chia seeds before… this is definitely a recipe to start a love affair.
I made this fruit salad for a few friends that came over for dinner. I served it as a dessert, although it could easily be served anytime of day – especially for breakfast or a snack.
This fruit salad contains ZERO refined sugar is full of wonderful chia seeds!
And look what happened after I served it. Yes… all quickly gone.
It must have been good if I can say so myself 🙂
Chia seeds grow 10 times their weight in size when combined with liquid, helping the body stay hydrated and full. The word “chia” comes from the Aztec word that means “oily” — the oils found in this small little round seed is the secret to its health benefits. Having the most content of omega 3 fatty acids of any plant food, they fight inflammation in the body, reducing the chance for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression.
I hope that’s reason enough to add chia seeds to your repertoire….but if it isn’t, just try this recipe and you will get a chance to feel their magic!
- ⅓ cup chia seeds
- 2 cups nut milk of your choice
- 4 cups of diced fruit of your choice (for this recipe I used pears and strawberries)
- ¼ cup currants or raisins or goji berries
- zest of one orange
- juice of one orange
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- mint leaves for decoration
- Add 1 cup diced fruit and a sprinkle of currants to 4 different bowls
- Combine nut milk, chia seeds, orange juice, zest, vanilla and cinnamon in a small pitcher and stir
- Pour ½ cup mixture on top of fruit in bowls
- Top fruit bowls with shredded coconut
- Refrigerate fruit bowls for at least 30 mins (or chill overnight)
- Top each bowl with a mint leaf before serving
Chia Seed Tips: Remember to store chia seeds in an airtight container. My favorite brand of Chia Seeds is from Nutiva because they 100% organic and I love their support for GMO-labeling.
For this recipe I used homemade pistachio milk, but you can use any nut milk you like.
Please let me know if you make this recipe or any others. I have a new star system on my recipes… I’d love your honest opinion.
Mmmmm…I think I’ve having one of these for breakfast tomorrow.
Food Babe
Is this paleo-friendly?
It is as long as you use unsweetened coconut
I have not made this (yet!), but it reminds me of ambrosia salad – popular at potlucks and family gatherings – which I used to love. I haven’t had it in years, but remembering ambrosia salad makes me want to try this recipe! : )
I just made this with organic pears and organic frozen blueberries. I used unsweetened, first pressing coconut milk (13.5 oz can) and 2.5 oz almond milk to get to 2 cups. I used one lime for zest and the juice. I didn’t have shredded coconut or mint leaves. I put the four glasses in the frig for 30 minutes and voila, I had the most refreshing delicious breakfast salad ever!
Does it have to be nut milk? We have nut allergies in our house.
I think the point is probably not to use dairy milk, but a plant-based milk like almond, rice or hemp… just my guess!
No. I’ve used regular milk, works exactly the same. You can use any milk with chia seeds. The choice is yours!
Just made this with mangoes and strawberries– was feeling a bit lazy so skipped the orange zest/juice and threw in some raw pistachios– it was really yummy– thanks for this great recipe 🙂
What do you know about Monk Fruit Extract? It is in Zevia Soda which is sweetened with stevia but also contains the Monk Fruit Extract.
Monk fruit is wonderfully wholesome. It’s a little pricey which is probably why we don’t see more of it in this country.
I made this today with the pears and strawberries and it is delicious!!
Loved this recipe! I used cherries and peaches and sprinkled raw pistachios on top. It was delicious! Definitely making this again..
Any suggestions for subbing out the shredded coconut?
I substituted lemon zest and juice for the orange and used strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. So good! I love this!
I made this with strawberries and bananas! It was delicious. And the best part is it kept me feeling full for hours!
Can I use flaxseeds instead 0f chia seeds?
Flax gets slimy, chia doesn’t. chia soaks up liquid x10, flax x3. You could try, but they taste and act different, use far far far less liquid. I’d try anything once:)
I usually mill the chia before we eat it. We find it easier to digest and of course, it doesn’t get stuck between the teeth. Do you know if this reduces the health effect of the seds?
Thanks
Chris
Just made this using my fresh grown blackberries…. it smells delicious!! I cannot wait to try it!! Thank You for the recipe.. and the Nutiva info! I needed more coconut oil and chia.. saved $$ getting the bundle and using the FB code! Thanks again Food Babe!!
1 tbsp of vanilla is too much! 1/2 tea spoon should be ok. thanks
I make food for one. How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Thanks.
What brand of almond milk do you use? Can’t fun any that don’t use added sugar or doesn’t have all the additives.
Hi Melissa – Vani makes her own nut milks. For almond: 4 cups of filtered water to 1 cup of almonds soaked overnight (and then rinsed), blend in a blender, strain with a strainer/cheese cloth.
Ok thanks! Do you know how long the almond milk is good for in the fridge after its made?
I think it should last about 3 days in the fridge.
Has anyone tried the pistachio nut milk recipe? Im confused on the part that says add milk. I thought this was dairy free?
Hi Jennifer – Yes, it’s dairy free. The recipe is referring to nut milk.
@ Jennifer, it says nut milk in the recipe, so yes it is dairy free.
I did it!!! It was delicious. I added bananas, pears and strawberries it was a bit more sweeten, even my kids love it! Thanks
I’ve made a similar chia dessert using fresh mango, almond milk, shredded coconut, saffron, and cardamom. I must try the pistachio milk! Sounds heavenly.
Where can we buy those cool dessert bowls?
Love it! Thanks Food Babe. I also want to know where you got those dessert bowls, no seriously I want to know 😉
Is this dessert supposed to get thick, like tapioca, or is the milk supposed to remain in liquid form? The picture looks thicker than the one I made. Maybe I did something wrong?
I made this the other day and was wondering the same thing too!
By vanilla, do you mean vanilla extract?
Mine came out really soupy. The chia seeds didn’t expand as much as I thought they would have and the overall dish didn’t have the custardy type texture I thought it would. Kind of bummed. I did use soy milk and left out the OJ. Any advice on why mine isn’t thick?
Just want to know if any type of sweetener is used at all, such in the nut milk? Even with the great fruit, I loved this but felt the “pudding” part needed just a tiny bit of sweetener.
I cut this in half and wish I didn’t. It was very good. I used a banana, apple and some organic grapes, and little bit of raisins
with almond milk. Mine was a bit soupy too but still delicious. Maybe to much orange juice.
So for those of us who are getting the soupier version, should we use less liquid or add more chia?
This has been my staple breakfast now for the last month. I have prepared a variation of this no less than 4 times a week since I found it!
Since it’s fall, I have prepared mine with an apple, lemon juice, coconut milk, mulberries and goji berries and extra cinnamon, sans the zest, coconut flakes and mint. I make mine with added milk for an almost cereal-type breakfast!
It is my favorite meal of the day!
Since I tried this pudding, I want to make it everyday. It is so good. Does anybody know whether or not the soaked chia seeds have to be chewed to get the nutritional benefits?
This is delicious! Made it for the first time this week!
I want to prep these once and eat them all week, how long will they last in the refridgerator?
Nut milk meaning almond milk I buy- we buy the vanilla almond milk. I’m not going to make any- I’m not there yet. Seen the recipes.
I just made this fruit salad but it came out soupy. Any tips to make it thicker?
I made this today, my first ever time using chia seeds. I followed the recipe but it was very soupy. I made some extra for breakfast. We all though it was yummy but the consistency wasn’t anything like in your picture. Maybe the chia will expand more overnight. looking forward having this for breakfast! I used almond coconut milk and for fruit we had strawberries, pears and bananas. For currants we used dried blueberries.
SO yummy! I will definitely make this again, experiment with different fruits and maybe add more chia seeds. I also got soupy consistency, but it was delish!
The ingredient vanilla, is this vanilla extract?
For a breakfast treat, (for 1) – make with Large oats 1/3C, “milk” 1/3 C and yogurt 1/4C (or skip ) 1.5tsp chia seeds and mix in fruit , store in fridge overnight for a cold grab and go oatmeal treat!
When you “chill” overnight, I am assuming it is covered? And if I make a 4 bowl batch how long can you keep in fridge and still taste fresh? Just the following day? Thanks
would like to know how to subsitute chia seeds as it,s very rare in my country thanks
Woww… Wish i could prepare this….But, some of the ingredients are not available in my country
I tried a variation of this recipe with milk, fruits, chia seeds and raisins and it was awesome.
I made this in one bowl instead of dividing it up and just used what I had on hand because I was really excited to try a “chia pudding”. I used blueberries, apples & golden raisins. I also felt like the milk to chia ratio was off a bit, unless you are making it overnight I would say a generous 1/3 cup of chia might turn out a thicker version. I also felt like it wasn’t sweet enough so I added ripe banana sliced up, I would definitely add it every time to add the much needed sweetness without resorting to a sweetener. Chopped walnuts were another addition, it made it more like a watergate or ambrosia and gave it some crunch. Overall I really did like the recipe and loved that I could play around with what I have available. Thanks! (I also plan on making my own almond milk since reading the store bought label.)
I have been making Foodbabe recipes like crazy since I joined the “Army” a couple of weeks ago. I must be honest, I was disappointed with this Chia bfast salad. I did halve it and subbed blackberries for pears (since I didn’t have them). Do those modifications make the difference???
Thank you.
p.s. I can’t stop making the almond butter brownies!
MyFitnessPal app says this is 1083 calories! Is this true??
thank you, Food Babe, for your tireless advocacy and education work! And thank you for using website specifications that make it possible to easily download recipes into our recipe apps! Just goes to show you who is really about making life healthier and easier for the masses and who is solely in it for the bucks.